Simon Bridges wants a 'common sense' test applied to all red tape

National Party leader Simon Bridges wants a "common sense" test run across all health and safety practices as part of the party's plan to cut red tape.

In a preview of his announcement in Auckland today outlining the first part of National's election-year economic platform, Bridges told the Herald that the test would lower business costs, including for builders which could in turn lead to more affordable homes.

But he was light on how a "common sense" test would be applied, adding that he didn't want courts to be clogged with test cases.

Nor did he think it would be better to increase safety regulations, given that the 108 work-related fatalities last year was much higher than the 63 deaths the previous year.

Bridges will also release 29 of the 100 regulations that National wants to axe within six months, should it win the 2020 election, including some relating to hairdressers, electricity prices, engine drivers' exams, gates and cattlestops, and fire extinguishers.

His announcement follows the party's economic discussion document last year, and a speech on economic agenda last month where Bridges dangled the proposal of tax cuts to those on an average wage of about $65,000 a year.

Bridges will focus on the five ways National wants to cut regulations, one of which would be a health and safety "common sense" test in the law.

"We don't want to compromise the safety of New Zealanders, but we recognise what we are told by thousands of small businesses: regulations are going too far, creating a lot of cost and burden without benefit," Bridges told the Herald.

The statutory test would weigh benefits against costs, he said.

"For scaffolding, builders are required to have it on single-storey buildings, adding thousands of dollars of costs to a new home. It's unclear from everyone we talked to that there's any safety benefit from that."

He said the "common sense" test should be applied not only to regulations, but to how health and safety inspectors went about their work.

Another questionable practice was needing to have a newly-built saw horse signed off with an engineer's certificate.

"That's what I've been told by a number of builders. We can't find an actual regulation that backs that up, but it seems to be a matter of practice by WorkSafe inspectors."

Bridges says a saw horse shouldn't need an engineer's certificate, though National has not found this listed as a prerequisite in any regulation. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Asked how the test would be applied, he said changing the law would send a clear message from Government.

'We will be making our expectation clear through the [WorkSafe] board, the minister and ultimately me as Prime Minister."

There were 108 work-related fatalities in 2019, more than the 63 fatalities in 2018 - but Bridges did not see this as a sign that more safety regulations were needed.

"It shows that just piling on the costs and burdens without common sense isn't working so well.

"We're not proposing throwing the baby out with the bathwater. But what will make a big difference in lowering costs for small businesses and ensuring affordable housing is a health and safety common sense test."

Bridges has previously said he wanted to gut the Government's Healthy Homes standards around insulation, heating and ventilation, which could see house prices fall - even though a National-led Government would not require any savings to be passed on to home buyers.

Cutting more red tape for builders should also see lower house prices, he said.

"There are many things that go together to make a housing price, but scaffolding on a single story building, and cost and compliance on things like saw horses are clearly part of it."

In his announcement today, Bridges will also list specific regulations that he wants thrown out.

"There are ridiculous regulations out there that no one even refers to like the Engine Drivers' Examination Regulations, the Gates and Cattlestops Order, the Fire Extinguishers Regulations.

"No one's heard of them and we're going to clear them away."

He said National would also axe the Low Fixed Charge Tariff Option for domestic electricity consumers, which has the perverse outcome of higher prices for lower income households.

Other regulations that Bridges has previous flagged as questionable are requirements to have exit signs on a bus depot with no walls, and a "level entry" for showers.

National says small businesses, including hairdressers and builders, are burdened by too much red tape. Photo / Warren Buckland

Bridges said the fallout from the spread of Covid-19 had put renewed impetus on releasing National's economic plan, so today's announcement had been brought forward.

Cabinet will meet today to discuss, among other things, an economic stimulus package for businesses affected by the spread of Covid-19.

Bridges said he wanted the Government to pour millions into affected small businesses to keep workers from losing hours or their jobs entirely.

It should be similar to the protection offered in the aftermath of the Kaikoura earthquake, when the previous Government put $7.5 million towards eight weeks of wage subsidies - $500 a week per fulltime workers, $300 for part-time - to soften the economic fallout.

Business leaders have been asking the Government for this kind of assistance, and Finance Minister Grant Robertson has said that the Government is considering targeted help.

The Government has already announced $11 million for tourism marketing and $4 million for more advisors on the ground through its Regional Business Partner Network.